This invention relates to treated food products in its broadest sense, and more particularly to starch based snack food products. It, of course, goes without saying that potato based snack food items have heretofore been known. Examples include potato chips, and in more recent times, potato chip like products prepared from dehydrated potatoes which have added moisture forming a dough which is then fried to provide uniform and consistent chip like products.
However, one deficiency of such products is that they are largely only farinacious material and as such lack substantial nutrient value. This is true for most such products whether or not they are potato based, or cereal grain based, such as corn chips, or based upon other grains such as wheat, rye or the like.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a tasty protein fortified snack food item of substantially high nutritional value.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a whole potato based complete meal snack item which uses the entire potato including the skin, starchy material and the vitamins normally cooked out of potatoes during the cooking process.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a snack food item which at the process operator's choosing can be fortified with textured vegetable protein, meats or meat by-products, dried fruit bits, milk solids, or the like.
An even further object of this invention is to provide a whole potato based snack food item which can be prepared conveniently and simply in a one step extrusion operation with the ultimate shape being controlled by the die employed at the end of the extruder barrel.
The method and means of accomplishing these and other objects will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows.